Uncharted Misdirection
by forgetyouinsiberia
Summary: Ezra leaves town after Aria breaks up with him because of Jackie's threats. Jude, Tommy, and Sadie are living in NYC running G Majors newest label. Aria just won the latest season of Instant star. Long summary. Confusing. Better explained inside!


**Summary: **Ezra left town like Ella told him to after Aria broke up with him at Jackie's insistence. That summer, Aria took part in Instant Star and won. She relocated to New York with her parents to record her first album under G Major's newest label.

Jude is 22 and has been back in North America for over a year. After recording and releasing an award-winning album with Bermonzy records, she was offered a new contract by G Major with more artistic freedom and more money. She's had very little to do with Instant Star until she meets a girl who reminds her of her former fifteen year-old self.

Ezria/Jommy

**A/N: **It seems every time I start watching a new show, I try to figure out how to make an Instant Star crossover. This one seems like it might actually work, though it'll be something that won't see very much attention for a while. **I apologize for the long authors note/summary/info! Also, **this is the ONLY chapter written so far for this story, because I want to see how well it will be received. If it's liked, I'll continue. If not... well then, who knows.

**If you've never seen Instant Star: **IS was a little-known show that starred Alexz Johnson as a girl who won a singing competition (like American Idol) and followed her over the next four years of her life, and the people around her. (Her producer, Tommy, her sister, Sadie, and her best friend, Jamie.)

**If you've never seen Pretty Little Liars: **One, I'm a little surprised. Its quite popular… The good news is you don't need much of a knowledge about the show outside of Aria and Ezra's relationship. The show essentially follows four girls who were friends with another girl, but who fell out of touch after she went missing. After her body turns up a year later, the girls come back together, though a mutual stalker is one of the biggest reasons they do. Their stalker will have nothing to do with this story. Spencer, Hanna, and Emily probably won't have much relevance either, given that they'll be in Rosewood. THAT SAID…

**Aria and Ezra **and **Jude** **and Tommy**'s relationships were very similar. (Maybe that's why I ship both…) Ezra, (22, now 23), was Aria's (16, now 17) high school teacher, though they met before the school year started, and proceeded to date for six months. Tommy and Jude met when she was 15 (now 22) and he was 22 (now 29). He was her producer and co-writer for her albums. They didn't begin dating until she was (almost) eighteen, but they had very strong mutual feelings for each other, and kissed several times in those three years.

_Uncharted Misdirection_

_Chapter 1_

_The Best Days Of Your Life_

Aria looked around the spacious lobby of G Major as she moved her sunglasses up to the top of her head. Her hands moved down to her jacket and she unfastened the buttons. She was still feeling a little bewildered that she actually won the contest.

"Aria Montgomery?" She looked up to see a thin blond dressed in a black pencil skirt and a white dress shirt walking over to her. Just her presence reminded Aria of Hanna. She forced a smile onto her face and extended her hand.

"Hi," she murmured.

The blond extended a hand and gripped Aria's warmly as she shook it gently but firmly. "Hi. I'm Sadie Harrison. I know you were supposed to meet Darius, but he was called back to Toronto this morning." Aria nodded, moving her hand up to her shoulder to grip the strap of her bag.

"Why don't we start with the logistics of your contract," Sadie said as he led her across the lobby and down a short hallway into a large room. The gold everywhere easily gave away that it was Darius' office. Sadie led her across the room to another door and opened it. Once they stepped in, it was clear they were in Sadie's office. The colors filling the room were comfortable but muted enough that they didn't splash out too much.

Sadie led her to a chair and then sat down next to her, handing her a thick packet. "This is your preliminary contract that you signed when you joined the competition. It guaranteed one album, with the possibility of contract renewal if things go over well. We're still set to go forward with those parameters. We've made sure that you have ownership in your music, so all is well there. Now, you write all your lyrics, correct?" Aria nodded, still trying to take in the fact that she was in the building.

Sadie smiled. "We have entire faith in you, but we'd like to pair you up with Jude for a few sessions and see if it brings anything up." Aria furrowed her brow, confused. "I thought- I mean I heard something about working with To-" "Tom Quincy," Sadie finished quickly, nodding. "His last few tour dates were delayed from a bout of bronchitis, so you'll be working with Jude until he comes back." "Okay," Aria murmured.

The next hour was even more of a whirlwind as Sadie gave her a tour of the studio, showing her where hospitality was, as well as the bathrooms and the studio she'd be working in. By the time she finished, Jude was coming through the doors, wrapped tightly in a thick black winter jacket. Her wavy hair cascaded around her head as she pulled her hat off her head and removed her gloves.

Jude quickly spotted Sadie and Aria and smiled as she walked over to them. She hugged Sadie cheerfully and then extended a hand to Aria.

"Aria Montgomery, right?" Jude smiled. "I saw the finale last night." Aria nodded, shaking Jude's hand. She was slightly star-struck. She could name more than a dozen of Jude's songs that she'd listened to during the few months to get through moments that reminded her of Ezra.

Jude turned to Sadie. "We good to go?" Sadie nodded, handing her a key card. "Studio B is all set to go for you." Jude took the key card and then led Aria to the studio she was referring to. Aria's shock was a bit muted from the first time she'd seen the studio, half an hour earlier. Even so, she still looked around the studio again, taking in all the expensive equipment and instruments.

Jude unsheathed her jacket and tossed it onto one of the chairs in front of the sound board. She was dressed simply in a pair of skinny jeans and a black crew neck long-sleeved shirt. She rubbed her hands together in attempt to warm them and then turned to Aria.

Aria finally looked up at her and smiled, before placing her bag in the extra chair and removing her pea coat. She had on a grey Hollis t-shirt over a thin white long-sleeved shirt and black jeans with knee-high boots. A beanie with skulls rested on the top of her head.

"Did you write that song you won with all by yourself? You Wait For Rain, I think was what they called it?" Jude asked.

Aria's eyes trailed up from the floor, being brought to the present at Jude's voice. "Um- y-yeah." Jude nodded slowly. She could see that Aria was uncomfortable.

"It's probably going to be a big hit for you," Jude said, trying to comfort her. Aria gave her a small smile. She'd written that song about Ezra after she'd broken up with him.

Jude exhaled a long breath and pushed a happy smile across her face. "Why don't we go get some coffee? Caffeine always relaxes me." Aria smiled wider, and Jude knew she'd gotten through to her. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it back on, and Aria followed in suit. They walked out of the studio and headed out of G Major. As they walked down the block to the nearest Starbucks, they chatted politely about Jude's upcoming album and common interests betweeen them. The more they talked and the longer they walked, the more Aria became comfortable with the older girl and welcomed her presence. She was the first person Aria had really talked to comfortably since she'd lost Ezra in almost seven months.

Jude could see that staying off the topic of the song Aria had sang in the finale seemed to help bring her out of her shell. She could sense that it was more than being shy and star struck that kept the younger girl from opening up right away. She felt a kindred spirit from Aria as they walked, and wondered if she'd find out what exactly it was about her that seemed to be keeping her from opening up entirely.

"So have you got anything you're struggling with at the moment?" Jude asked as they paid for their coffees at Starbucks.

Aria shrugged. "I've got a lyric stuck in my head that I can't seem to get anywhere with. I just keep coming back to it, but I can't figure out how to make it work." Jude nodded. "How's it go?" Aria looked around. The coffee shop was had quite a few patrons, but none of them seemed to be paying she or Jude any mind. She sang the lyric. _"Do you ever wonder how anything can make you cry?" _

Jude smiled. "I like that. Don't worry too much about it, though. It took me six months to write Where Does It Hurt. All good things come in time." Aria chuckled softly, taking a drink from her coffee as she held Jude's in her free hand. A few people had looked up at her when she sang, but no one seemed to jump up. She spotted a tuft of black hair in the crowd as she scanned through the people, and then her eyes quickly turned back to do a double-take. Before she knew it, Jude was no longer at her side, but instead dashing across the coffeehouse and launching into the man's arms. Aria chuckled softly.

She walked over to them as Jude settled back on the ground and kissed the lips of the man she had thought for a mere second might be Ezra. However as she stepped up next to Jude, she quickly realized it was Tommy Quincy.

"I thought you were gone for another two weeks!" Jude squealed happily.

Tommy laughed beside her, kissing the side of her head. His voice was a bit hoarse, still getting over being sick. "We're in town for a concert, and then I've got a few dates in Quebec and British Columbia." He looked to Aria extended a hand. "Aria, right? I told them you would win." Aria smiled at him and shook his hand. His hands were rough and calloused from years of guitar-playing. "Yeah. Thanks." Tommy nodded. "I was supposed to produce your first single, but Jude knows what she's doing. You're in good hands with her."

Jude pouted as she hugged him and then kissed his cheek. "We have to get back to the studio."

Tommy kissed her forehead. "I'll be over there in a little while. Maybe we can do lunch."

Jude smiled and then took her coffee from Aria. They exchanged goodbyes and then Aria and Jude walked out of the café and started walking back to the studio.

"He wrote that song Find A Way about you, right?" Aria asked as they walked.

Jude giggled softly, nodding as she took a drink from her latte. "Yeah. When I was living over in London. He's pretty great." Aria smiled, following Jude into the studio. They both let out long sighs of relief as they stepped into the warmth of the building and walked back to the studio. They removed their jackets and then Jude grabbed a guitar from the sound booth while Aria sat down on the piano bench and pulled out her journal.

"So do you have a song in mind that you worked on for Instant Star that you want to record?" Jude asked.

Aria flipped through her journal for a moment and then nodded. She placed it on the stand above the keys and then began to play as Jude sat a few feet away from her. She began to play and then started singing.

"_I'm trying not to pretend  
__it won't happen again and again  
__like that_

_I never thought it could end  
__cause you got up in my head  
__and my head like that_

_you made me happy, baby  
__love is crazy  
__so amazing but its changing,  
__rearranging, I don't think I can take any more_

_cause the walls burned up  
__and our love fell down  
__and it turned into whatever  
__never say never  
__feel the fire cause its all around  
__and it's burning for forever and always  
__we gotta let it go, be on our way  
__and live for another day  
__cause it ain't the same, my baby  
__watch it all falling to the ground  
__no happy ever after  
__just disaster…"_

She turned towards Jude nervously. "That's not the whole song, but it's the beginning." Jude nodded. "It's good, but what if you played it on guitar instead, and kicked it up a bit. Like this." She began to strum on the guitar, playing the same melody that Aria had played on the piano. Aria smiled and then nodded when Jude stopped playing.

"I like that," she said approvingly.

Jude smiled back at her and offered up the guitar. Aria took it from her and began to play it. She played the song in its entirety before looking back up at Jude.

"Yeah, I like it like that." She said.

Jude nodded. "Great. Let's get to work on it."

_-  
It was noon time, down time, break time, summer time  
-_

Jude and Aria continued to work with each other for the next few days, and by the time Tommy was officially back from tour, they had officially started recording her first single. You Wait For Rain hadn't been brought up since Jude's initial conversation with her about, but Aria had a feeling that the song hadn't been forgotten that easily. The views for its plays on the internet since the finale were well over a million. She'd read numerous comments on it as well with people asking if it was going to be her first single or if it was going to be on her album.

She looked around as she pulled her eyes up from her math textbook. She was officially seeing a tutor three times a week. She'd talked to quite a few people after winning the competition as well as Jude about their opinions on how she should manage school. She knew that the studio was going to be demanding of her time, and not just to record her album. She had plenty of talk shows that were booking her schedule solid through the next few weeks, as well as interviews for magazines and other publications. She was supposed to be meeting someone from a teen magazine in just a little while back at the studio for an interview about how she felt about her win and what her album was going to be like, along with a live version of You Wait For Rain that would be recorded for released with the magazine that she would play after the interview.

As it was, she had been enrolled in almost as many AP classes as Spencer before she'd left Rosewood, and was set to graduate in January. With any luck, she was hoping to still graduate then, but she had to find time to buckle down and work on her homework as well.

Her phone buzzed on the table and she picked it up, flipping her textbook shut. She brought it up to her ear. "Yeah?" _"Aria, sweetie? Where are you?" _Her father's voice came over the line.

She looked around. "A coffeeshop by the studio. Why?" _"The editor from that magazine just called. He wants to push up your interview to half an hour from now." _Aria sighed heavily. The interview was supposed to happen in a few hours. Her dad was supposed to pick her up and go with her. He had gotten a job at NYU, and Ella had gotten a job at a private school on the upper East Side, which gave her a crazy commute each day to and from work.

"_Just catch a cab," _Byron told her from the other end of the line. _"If you're late, that's their problem." _

Aria pushed up from her seat, stuffing her textbook into her bag. "Alright." She muttered. Her father said he loved her and then she ended the call, tucking her phone into her pocket.

She didn't hate her parents, but they had very little understanding of the world they'd just been thrust into, and it had also grown very tough for her to live with and be around them after Ezra had left. At some point, Ella had told Byron about thinking that Spencer and Ezra were dating, because his opinion of the younger man had quickly crashed and burned. It killed Aria every time she had to hear her parents talk about him. Almost as much as it killed her every time she tried to e-mail Ezra, only to have her e-mail tell her the e-mail couldn't be sent. His number had been changed, so she couldn't call him either, and she didn't know how else to find him. Hardy had refused to give her any information when she'd run into him shortly after moving to New York.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and began to walk down the block, struggling to get a cab driver's attention as she did so. After a few minutes though, one stopped and a woman stepped out, letting Aria take her place. Aria told him the address to the studio, and then settled as comfortably as she could in her seat. She wondered if she was dressed appropriately enough for an interview. She was in a long-sleeved black dress and matching leggings with lace sleeves on her dress. She'd worn a grey cardigan since it was unusually warm.

The drive through the city was quiet except for the occasional crackle from the radio, but Aria didn't mind. She was still getting used to living in New York, and she loved looking at all the spectacles as she passed them. One of her favourite things since she'd moved there was to spend time in Times Square. Sometimes it was tough because people recognized her, but she still loved it.

After about twenty minutes, they were stuck in standstill traffic with no movement, about three blocks from the studio. Aria knew if she waited for the cab to move, that she'd be late, so she dug into her bag and retrieved a twenty dollar bill and handed it over the through the small window between she and the cab driver. She didn't bother to wait for change as she shoved her door open and weaved through traffic to the sidewalk. She filed through and around people as she speed walked down the block.

She made it G Major with just a minute to spare, and Sadie directed her to studio A. Aria marched off towards the studio and walked in. When she arrived, the doors were unlocked and the lights were on, but no one was there. She unsheathed her bag from her shoulder and then waited for a few minutes before deciding to go and get a cup of coffee from Hospitality.

She walked out of the room and headed down the hall to the open kitchen area. She grabbed a clean coffee cup from one of shelves and filled it with black coffee before adding creamer and sugar and heading back to the studio.

Tommy caught her just as she was heading into the room. She turned and looked up at him nervously. She didn't know him all that well yet.

"We've got all the recording equipment set up, so when your interview is over, just let me know and we'll get the recording started for that song," he said.

Aria nodded in understanding. She was going to walk into the studio, but then turned at the last moment. "Why are we doing this anyway? Jude and I are already working on Disaster for the single."Tommy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "It was an executive decision. The song was well received on Instant Star and this will keep people talking. Keep people talking, and the focus on you doesn't shift to the next person clamoring for fame."

Aria nodded again. She walked back into the studio a moment later and sat down on the piano bench. She grabbed a guitar and strummed a few notes before she began playing her song from memory.

It was a tough song for her to play and even harder to sing. She'd written it with the intention of playing it at a coffee house open mic night. Ezra had dared her to sign up for it before she'd abruptly ended their relationship, and so she had. She had put off writing a song until she'd broken up with him. When she did, the first few days were hell. She'd written the song partially to get herself through the tornado of emotions she was going through and partially to make Ezra see that they couldn't be together, even if she didn't really want to break up with him. But before the performance actually came up, Ezra had left town, and then she changed her mind and decided not to play the open mic night. Somehow though, the fact that he'd left her stuck with her, and suddenly she wanted him to hear the song. It had been one of the things to try out for Instant Star. She'd auditioned with the song, and then refused for weeks after to play it live on the show. Finally, Darius convinced her to agree to play it on the finale if she won. Aria agreed, only because she didn't actually think she would win. She'd been floored when she actually **did** win.

"I'm sorry I'm so late-"Aria turned around and looked up at the man standing in the doorway of the studio. Her eyes trailed up his body, from his black dress pants to a grey button-up dress shirt, to the blue-grey eyes and finally the curly black hair. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she stared at the man she hadn't seen in months. Blood rushed into her cheeks and her fingers shook as she still held the guitar in her hands.

"E-Ezra…"

He stared back at her with the same look of surprise. She could see that he was weighing the same fight or flight option as she was as he stared at her wordlessly. If either of them ran from the current situation, there would be so many questions and things would unravel too quickly in front of them. His job – possibly even his freedom. Aria would have to tell her label why she refused the meeting. There were too many ramifications to face if they ran from this room.

But didn't change their emotions towards each other either. She was angry at him for leaving town. He was upset with her for breaking up with him.

A good five minutes passed before he finally moved and sat down on the couch across from her, and finally managed to say something.

"We should do this interview," he said blandly. He sat there confused for a few moments as he opened his folder and flipped a legal pad to a fresh sheet. He pulled out a small recorder. He looked back up at her and shook his head. "H-how did this happen?"

"How did **what** happen, exactly?" Aria asked.

"**This**." Ezra exclaimed. "You won a music competition? I thought you wanted to be a teacher."

"I like music too," she said. "And don't you watch TV? The competition was all over it for months."

Ezra didn't answer her. He looked down at the sheet on the opposite side of his folder. It contained a list of questions he'd composed for the interview.

"Look, lets just do the interview," Aria said.

Ezra nodded. He turned on his recorder. "What was the first thing that ran through your mind when you won?"

Aria desperately wanted to him the truth; that she'd hoped maybe he'd seen her on TV and would try to find her and come back to her. "That I probably didn't deserve it."Ezra looked up at her. "Why?"She shrugged and shook her head. "There's probably another girl out there who wants it more than I do. I just wanted to be heard.""How so?"

She watched as he scribbled on the legal pad and seemed to carry the hunger for writing like she did. It was something he hadn't had so much when they'd first met. "I mean, I was carrying around all these emotions and then when I wrote them out, I wanted them out there where people could hear them."

Ezra nodded.

The interview proceeded in a cool manner. She and Ezra were polite to each other but they never really treaded beyond that of an artist and a journalist doing a proper interview. After about forty minutes, Ezra flipped his binder shut and then stood.

"We're supposed to do a live recording?" He asked.

Aria nodded. She stood and walked over to the door and opened it. Tommy was standing nearby, talking with Sadie. She waved him down and he walked over to her and then followed her back into the studio. She almost laughed at the look of slight contempt Ezra gave Tommy, as if he didn't trust him. Tommy walked over to a laptop which was opened up and brought up the recording program before making sure everything was set up to record.

Aria's hands shook as she picked up an acoustic guitar. Ezra hadn't known much about the competition or her involvement, but he'd asked what the song was about, and she had only skimmed over the topic, saying that she'd written it after a break up, but she was terrified of what his reaction would be once she finished playing it.

"When I hit record, you can start to play," Tommy told her. Aria nodded.

He began a countdown with his fingers and then when he reached one, hit the record button. A moment later, Aria began to play. She kept her eyes averted from both Ezra and Tommy as she sang.

"_its more than a crack in the wall  
__there's a hole lot bigger than we thought  
__a hammer and nail won't fix it this time  
__so bring on the wrecking ball_

_its like we been drifting along  
__pretending like nothings wrong yeah  
__we play the game,  
__keep up the charade  
__but when the river runs dry  
__we're on different sides_

_you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm  
__we just don't see it the same way  
__you say you want change  
__but you're never sure  
__we can't go on like this anymore  
__cause at the end of the day  
__you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm_

_i was never good at standing still  
__always got a hunger to fill, yeah  
__don't think you ever understood  
__that's who i am_

_but we gotta face this  
__we're in different places  
____you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm  
__we just don't see it the same way  
__you say you want change  
__but you're never sure  
__we can't go on like this anymore  
__cause at the end of the day  
__you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm_

_how'd we ever get so far  
__from where we started from  
__the hardest thing about this  
__is i still care_

_you know there's something better  
__for both of us out there  
_

___you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm  
__we just don't see it the same way  
__you say you want change  
__but you're never sure  
__we can't go on like this anymore  
__cause at the end of the day  
__you wait for rain_

_at the end of the day  
__you wait for rain  
__and i chase the storm  
__i chase the storm  
__i chase the storm_

_so bring on the wrecking ball…"_

When she opened her eyes, she looked up nervously at Ezra. Tommy worked to bounce the recording out of the program and onto a CD, but she could see that Ezra was hurt. She could see all the questions running through his mind, and she didn't even know where to begin to explain to him. It hurt her to see him so upset, but she couldn't say anything in front of Tommy.

A few minutes later, Tommy handed a CD to Ezra and then headed out of the studio. She thought he'd follow after, but he still stood there in front of her.

"You wrote that about us?" He asked.

Aria looked up at him, trying with everything inside of her to not fall apart. "Ezra-""No," he insisted. "There's no need to explain if that's how you really feel. Don't worry about me."He turned on his heel and walked out of the studio.

_-  
Cause you wait for rain, and I chase the storm  
-_

Aria slung her bag across her body as she walked out of the studio and headed for the main doors. She'd been working with Jude and Tommy most of the afternoon, and the sun had set hours ago. It was nearing midnight and she was exhausted. Jude was going to drive her home.

"I'll be out in just a few minutes," Jude told her as she headed towards hospitality.

Aria nodded. She headed out the doors of the studio and breathed in the cool night air, running her hands up and down her arms. Autumn was in full swing and the chill was definitely settling in.

"Aria?"

She looked up towards the sound her voice. Ezra was about fifteen feet away with a bag slung across his body. He was wearing a leather jacket.

"What're you doing back here?" She asked.

He stood in his place for a moment, as if he didn't know the right answer. "I needed to talk to you."

"I have to get home," she said. "It's late and it's a long drive-""I'll take you-"

Jude came through the doors and looked at Ezra skeptically and then back at Aria. "Ready to go?"Aria and Ezra exchanged a look, and then looked back up at Jude, unsure.

"Please, Aria," Ezra murmured. Jude looked back at him again. "I'll get her home, I promise. We know each other."Jude turned back to Aria again. "Is that true? You know each other?"

Aria nodded slowly.

"Okay," Jude said. "Well if you want to…"Aria considered it for another few moments before she nodded. Jude bounded down the steps and told her to be at the studio in the morning before heading to her car. Aria walked over to Ezra. She shivered in the air as the wind blew.

He led her to his car, parked in the parking lot of a gas station about a block away, and then opened her door for her before he walked around the car and got inside. They sat quietly for a few minutes as they donned their seatbelts and Ezra started the car and then pulled out of the gas station.

"Where do you live?" He asked.

"Queens," she said just as softly. "You'll have to take the highway."

Ezra nodded. They were quiet again, though he fiddled with the heat to make her more comfortable. When Aria could stand the silence no longer, she turned to look at him.

"I thought you 'needed' to talk to me."Ezra dared a glance at her. "I do." He paused for a moment and then spoke again. "Why did you want to be heard?"

Aria looked over at him, flummoxed. "I already told you-""No," Ezra disagreed. "You gave me an answer for thousands of new fans you have. You didn't give me a real answer."

Aria shook her head, leaning it back against the head rest behind her. "I wanted **you** to hear me, alright? You left."Ezra looked over at her. "You broke up with me, Aria. Your mother thought I was sleeping with Spencer. What was I supposed to do?""You were supposed to wait!" She cried. All that easily, the gates holding in her emotions pushed open and tears started to build in her eyes. "You were supposed to love me enough to wait."

Ezra looked over at her again, and then back to the road. "How was that going to fix anything, Aria? Your mother wanted me **gone**. Why **did** you end things anyway?"Aria pressed her lips together. She'd thought for sure after all this time Jackie would've played some sort of a factor and that he would either know or wouldn't care why she had broken up with him.

"I didn't want you to get hurt," she said.

"Bull," Ezra called her bluff quickly. "You're the one who wanted to tell your parents. Tell me the truth, Aria. Why did you break up with me?"She clenched her jaw and stared out the passenger side window, trying to hold herself together. He repeated the question again and then again, and it got to her. The more he kept asking, the harder it was for her to ignore him. Finally, she whipped her head around and glared at him.

"Your psycho ex told me to end it or she'd tell my parents, alright? And that she'd get you fired from Hollis!" She cried. Tears ran down her face as she glared angrily at Ezra. "Watch the road!"

Ezra whipped his head back at the sight of the cars in front of them and slammed his foot on the breaks. He drove another block until they passed a fast food restaurant and pulled into the parking lot. "Are you serious? Why would she do that?"Aria exhaled a deep breath. "Because my friends and I were being stalked, and the person stalking us wanted us to do things. She made me show that Jackie was plagiarizing a paper, and tell Jackie to leave town. Jackie refused to and then told me to break up with you.""Wh-what?" He stammered. "Who was stalking you!"

Aria shook her head, wiping away some of the tears on her face. "It turned out to be Mona. She went nuts when I made it onto Instant Star and she didn't, and that's how we found out."

Ezra absorbed the information she was giving him slowly. They sat in silence for a few minutes and then he turned back to her. "What about the song?"

Aria shrugged. "Those first few days you wouldn't stop calling, and I figured you'd show up to that open mic. I thought it would get through to you if I wrote something about us being on different pages. I didn't want you to hurt because of me. I figured Jackie would find a way to sink her claws into you."

"I don't love her anymore," Ezra said insistently. "And I didn't then, either. Nothing could've possibly made me want to be with her again. Even without you. That's why I came back to New York."

They stared at each other or a few long moments before diving across the seats and meeting in a heated kiss. Ezra's hands found their way to Aria's face as her hands cupped his neck. Ezra's tongue was in her mouth a moment later, and she exhaled a long sigh of relief as she pressed as closely as she could to him in the cramped space.

They broke apart a few minutes later for air, and Aria pressed her lips together. She could still feels his lips on hers.

"I should probably actually get you home," Ezra said softly.

Aria nodded.

He put the car into reverse and then headed them back towards the road. Once the car was properly in drive again, Aria grabbed his hand and held it in his as they drove. She rested her head back against the rest, running her thumbs over his fingers as she sat there with her eyes closed.

She must've dozed off at some point, because the next thing she knew, Ezra was pulling his hand free from hers and telling her to wake up. She blinked wearily and realized the were in Queens.

"Where to?" He asked softly.

She gave him he address to the house her parents had signed a lease to and then closed her eyes once more. When she awoke next, he was parked outside the house. She looked up at the house and then back at him.

"Will I see you again?" He asked softly.

"Sure. Probably multiple times a day on any local TV station," she joked.

Ezra gave a small smile. "I'm serious, Aria. What does this mean for us?"She looked at him sadly. "How is it supposed to change anything, Ezra? We still can't tell my parents. They both have very low opinions of you because they still think you were in a relationship with Spencer. And we can't very well sneak around when I'm suddenly everyone's top subject."

"I love you, Aria." He said.

She frowned and tears filled her eyes again. "I love you too, but I don't know how we can possibly make this work. At least not right now."Ezra shook his head. "The last seven months were hell. I can't go through that again."

Aria chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. She grabbed his phone from the car charger it was hooked up to and then added her new number as a contact.

"We'll talk. Figure something out," she told him. She looked over her shoulder at the house again. "I have to go."Ezra resigned to letting her go, and watched as she got out of the car and walked up to the house. All the lights were off except for the porch light.

Aria let herself in with a key and then locked the door behind her before walking to the kitchen and flipping the light on. The bright light made her eyes strain for a few moments as she got used to them. She walked over to the fridge and opened it. Finding nothing that interested her, she closed it and then turned around to look at what was out on the counter. There was fruit in a bowl, and cupcakes under a clear plastic cover. She stole a cupcake from under the cover and then snatched a banana from the fruit bowl before shutting the light off and walking to the stairwell off the side of the room.

She climbed the steps wearily and then walked to her room. Fortunately, it was at the end of the hall, away from her parents room and Mike's.

She turned on her bedroom light and set the food on her desk before dropping her bag to the floor. She made quick work shimmying out of her clothes before grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she'd tossed her bed that morning and putting them on. She grabbed her food and walked over to her bed, placing them on the bed table. She turned on the lamp next to her bed and then turned off the main light in the room and crawled under the blankets of her bed.

She grabbed her laptop from the floor and turned it on while licking the frosting from the top of her cupcake. Once it was loaded up, she brought up her internet browser and went to her facebook page. Once she finished her cupcake, she tossed it into the trash next to her bed and then peeled her banana as se read through her newsfeed. She'd had to change a lot on her page so that it was more private.

Nothing important jumped out at her as she read. Most of the posts were from Spencer, Hanna, and Emily, telling her that they missed her and that they'd seen some of the interviews she'd already given. She typed back quick responses telling them she missed them too, before closing her laptop and placing it back by the side of the bed.

Her bedroom door opened as she was finishing up her banana. She forced a small smile across her face. "Hey, mom."Ella smiled back at her. "When did you get in?"

"Maybe twenty minutes ago," Aria replied quietly.

"Did you have a good day?" Ella asked.

Aria nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, when her phone began to buzz in her bag. Ella walked over and grabbed it from the floor and then pulled the phone out. Her brow furrowed at the unknown phone number.

"Who's that?" She asked.

Aria took the phone from her and looked at the number. It had to be Ezra. "The guy who interviewed me today. Probably has more questions."

Ella nodded slowly. She could see that it was more than that in Aria's expression. She perched on the edge of the bed. "That's all? You sure you don't maybe like this guy a little bit?"Aria gulped as she looked back up at Ella. "I- um-"Ella chuckled, laying a hand on Aria's knee. "It's alright sweetie."

"He's older," Aria said quickly. "Twenty-three. I couldn't-"Ella shook her head. "No one's saying anything about can's or cannot's. You never know what could happen. Maybe dating a journalist will keep you grounded. Besides, you never really did get over that situation with… Noel, was it?"Aria nodded, looking down at her blankets. She'd lied to her parents when they had finally demanded to know who it was that had her so bent out of shape when Ezra left. She'd told them that it was Noel. Whether or not they believed her was irrelevant.

"Maybe he'll be good for you," Ella said with a smile. "Just don't let anything get serious. You're only seventeen and you've got a lot of changes going on right now."Aria nodded. She yawned.

Ella leaned forward and kissed Aria's forehead. "Get some sleep. What time do you need to be to the studio tomorrow?""Nine," she murmured.

Ella nodded. "Your dad and I will be at work, so you'll be alright getting the subway on your own?"Aria nodded.

"Alright, sweetie. Goodnight." Ella walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Aria reached down by her bed and grabbed the charger to her cell phone and plugged it in before turning off her lamp. She went through the recent calls on her phone and then clicked on the number that had just called her. She brought the phone to her ear.

It rang a few times and then clicked over.

"_I figured you'd fallen asleep."_

Aria giggled softly. "My mom came in here and my phone was still in my bag."_"What time do you go in tomorrow," _he asked.

"Nine," Aria said, yawning again. "Catching the subway into the city. I thought you lived in Manhattan."_"No," _Ezra disagreed. _"My mom lives in Manhattan. I rent an apartment here in Queens. I have to be to work at eight. What time will you get done?"_"I have no clue," Aria sighed. "Could be early or late. Can you do a lunch?"_"I thought you were worried about your parents."_

Aria chuckled. "My mother told me it was fine to date a twenty-three year old journalist I I wanted."

"_And you forgot a few convenient details?" _Ezra asked. _"I'll see what I can do. I'll text you in the morning if I can make it."_"Great." She yawned a third time.

Ezra chuckled. _"Go to sleep. I love you."_

"I love you too," Aria said back softly. "Night."


End file.
